Is there an anatomical basis for a vascular counter-current mechanism in rabbit and human intestinal villi?

Abstract

The microvascular architecture of the intestinal villi of cat, rabbit and man was investigated by the vascular corrosion casting/scanning electron microscope method. Results showed that villus microvascular architecture of cat villi was consistent with the countercurrent vascular mechanism proposed by others from experiments in cats to explain intestinal absorptive function in mammals. However, the microvascular architecture of rabbit and human villi, whilst similar to each other, were quite different from cat. It is concluded that on anatomical grounds the countercurrent vascular mechanism cannot be extrapolated to include rabbit and human intestinal villi.